1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an acoustic transducer, and especially to a transducer having small size, high sensitivity and high capacitance which produces a high efficiency of conversion from acoustical energy to electrical energy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the construction of towed hydrophone arrays to be used as underwater listening devices, it is common to use a number of acoustical transducers interconnected and encased in tubular jackets, or the like. To achieve the required sensitivities, prior art arrays have necessarily utilized physically large transducers. Certain applications of towed arrays require a thin line configuration presenting difficult design problems. Previous towed arrays also have suffered from spurious signals produced by acceleration forces as the hydrophone is pulled through the water. Various methods have been proposed to substantially cancel such spurious signals, including back-to-back hydrophones having hydrostatic pressure compensation. However, a need still exists for a physically small efficient acoustical transducer having inherent acceleration cancellation characteristics.